


Be Careful

by KyeAbove



Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bittersweet Ending, Blood, Character Death, Decapitation, F/F, Gen, Mutilation, Past Character Death, Two Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-03-14
Packaged: 2019-03-18 04:54:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13674678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KyeAbove/pseuds/KyeAbove
Summary: The ink releases the humans within it, but just as they entered it. This has consequences for far too many unlucky souls.





	1. Be Careful

Allison awoke, truly, clutching Susie as she bled to death from her neck wound. The most Allison could do was kiss Susie’s lips one final time, and close her eyes when the light eventually faded from them. Allison was alone. Hurting. But free.

Unable to face the silence, carrying Susie’s precious body, Allison looked for another human face. She found it in the one who brought this salvation and this pain. Henry looked up at her in shock, even more when he saw Susie’s body.

Even more when he realized what he had really done.

Apologies died on his lips, as Allison placed Susie’s body down with so much care, and pulled Henry into a hug.

Together they cried, because with freedom came death, while the Ink Machine mockingly wirled rooms away from them.

The Searchers faired best, most simply eaten by the ink whole and healthy. Human again, after the initial shock wore off, many of them had dog piled onto Henry, screaming, and crying, and laughing.

The others had simply watched on, or apologized, or cast hateful glances at Henry for allowing this destruction to happen.

But when the true cause of all this limped into the room, guided by sound alone as his eyes were gone and blood dripped down his face, everyone froze. Everyone but Henry.

Henry pulled Joey into a headlock, and dragged him to the exit. Joey was left beside the door, too weak to move much, from all the blood loss, with some spare rags over his bleeding face, in an unneeded kindness.

Then they went out to search for more, living and dead.

They found Sammy dead, unable to properly live without the heart and other organs Joey had taken from him.

Wally was gone too, some head wound finally catching up to him.

Norman was already long dead, but that was a mercy.

They finally found Grant sobbing in a corner, his mouth sewn shut, the mutilated bodies of Shawn and Thomas each not too far away.

As soon as Henry drew near, Grant had launched himself at Henry, sobbing now into Henry’s shoulder, and now with arms around him.

They found no one else alive.

While many of the former Searchers buried the dead, marking every grave, Henry treated the injuries that he could. Grant never stopped sobbing, and that made removing the stiches a more gruesome task then it already was.

Checking on Joey after ignoring him for what must have been hours, they found he’d bled out, passing on ignored and unloved. Henry had simply shrugged, and dumped a bucket of ink on the body.

They set the building on fire. No use letting this memory go on.

They all watched it burn, until the sun long was long gone, and the studio and ever bad memory in it was burning up.

Grant refused to let go of Henry, refused to speak, maybe couldn't, but at least he wasn’t sobbing anymore.

Henry and Allison shared a meaningful, sorrowful glance as the sun slowly rose back over the horizon. They were free now, but at what cost?


	2. What You Wish For

Henry told himself it was worth it. That it wouldn’t have mattered anyways. There was no place for creatures of ink, and why wouldn’t he reverse the effects if he could? 

He told himself it was worth it with every body. That they were dead long before and the ink just gave the illusion of life. 

That hurt more. That he thought he was saving everyone, but only brought too many of them to an end. He told himself he gave them peace. But it still hurt. 

Allison was kind.  
Henry barely knew her, but she was kind. 

She told him it was worth it. Henry may not have saved them all, but that was his intent, and he still managed to bring many of his old friends home. Allison was sad but thankful. Almost everyone said the same. Said it if they had the confidence to speak. 

Henry was reminded of this in other ways. That it was worth the pain he was going through. When Grant would wake up in the middle of the night and dive into Henry’s bed, and sob and sniffle like a young child, but smile every morning, tangled in sheets and hair messy, and tears dried. 

The former Searchers playing tag, laughing, running, screeching, loving. The hugs between friends, and the kisses between lovers, the people who never got a chance to say goodbye together once more. 

Families were found. Children grown, parents young, but family all the same. They became secret keepers, and most went away, passed off as younger relatives, finally home. 

Eventually it was just Allison, Grant, and a handful of the former Searchers that remained at Henry’s home. Their home. 

Mornings, breakfast, bacon cooking in a separate pan from kosher meat, as it had been since Grant upright refused pork, and Henry broke down in tears of happiness. Grant’s memory seemed spotty at best, trauma swept, and that had been the first indication that he still had a concept of his identity.

Days, spent writing and drawing the children’s books that Henry was known for now. Mostly, Henry was left alone, but Grant would sometimes make a space for himself at one of the desks, and try to work his way through the math sheets Henry had gotten made for him, making sounds of excitement whenever he knew he was right. Sometimes Allison would wander into the room and try her best to help with designs and concepts. The former Searchers, like little children, would ask too many questions, but helped so much in pushing Henry towards completing a book.

Evenings, piled onto the couch, watching television for hours with plates of food on their knees. Avoiding animation, even though they missed so much. But Henry’s new family couldn't bare to look at every frame, knowing they used to draw much like that, or imitate it. 

Nights, spent in silence, Grant rarely having a nightmare if he’s with Henry all night. Allison sometimes dreams of Susie, but they’re happy dreams. Henry dreams of those he failed, and they tell him, smiles wide, that it was him that saved them. Set them free. 

Peace wasn’t easy, but in all these mornings, days, evenings, and nights, they might have finally found it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A sequel: [It Might Just Come True](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14835584)


End file.
